Why solo? To maximize creativity...

The inspiration for this post came from a "lively" discussion that I had with a fellow gamer this past weekend. He had heard about my solo pursuits and proceeded to rudely express his belief that developing or playing anything while alone was worthless. To this, I vehemently disagreed. When other gamers gathered around to listen to our debate, the entire affair looked and sounded like the nerdiest rap battle of all time.

Nevertheless, the crowd's overwhelmingly positive reaction to my arguments made it clear that I had been the victor. I had proven the benefits of solo gaming as a creative endeavor and, tangentially, also proven that my opponent's mother was extremely overweight. Sucka got struck by my mental Mack truck, yo.

Of course, this wasn't really a fair fight. By profession, I "enhance" the creativity of a variety of clients, mostly in a private capacity. By "creativity" I mean the generating of new ideas, and my methodology is thoroughly supported by the scientific research of those who look way better in a lab coat than I do.

In terms of gaming, generating new ideas is obviously very important, especially when the gaming is the sort enjoyed by anyone who reads this blog regularly. Creativity is found within the design of a game - from concept to final product - and within one's engagement with rules and components. Most of the time it involves deliberately tapping into the cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex - the "working-it-out" struggle of facing challenging problems that need clever solutions. More dramatically, it involves the serendipitous artistry of inspired design and - my personal favorite - the execution of an unorthodox move that turns out to be a master stroke.

I believe that solo gaming activities promote all of the above to a greater degree than group gaming ever can on its own. That's not to imply that a "master gamer" (whatever that is) MUST be a solo gamer to ever have a new idea; rather, it's meant to simply underscore how enriching a complementary regimen of solo gaming can be to the gaming life of any individual. Need a related example from someone in a lab coat? Let me spit some findings at ya...

From Capturing Creativity (1996) by Dr. Robert Epstein, straight-up original gangsta of Generativity Theory:

Two teams are selected from the larger audience. One is instructed to stay together for a 20-minute brainstorming session. The second team is instructed to "shift" twice from five-minute private work sessions to five-minute team meetings. Each team must generate names for a new soft drink, and each has a total of 20 minutes in which to accomplish the task. The "shifting" group typically generates twice as many ideas as the brainstorming group. Why? Because creativity is always an individual process, and social disapproval is the major deterrent to creativity our entire lives. Groups are far better at selecting good ideas than at generating them.

What's all of that got to do with gaming? Quite a lot, actually. Whether inventing games or playing them, generating new ideas is essential and best accomplished ALONE. Epstein proved this again and again throughout his years of research. The above example is just one of many.

Surely, some will not agree with the connections I've made, and that's OK; I won't leaden this post with additional scientific findings. What it all comes down to is what I've stated before: I'm a better social gamer because I'm a solo gamer, and I'd also add that I'm a more creative player in general because of solo gaming. Some of my best ideas have been generated during solo play, and many of those ideas have made the transition into social gaming projects. In fact, that's currently one of my primary objectives for this blog.

So, solo gamers, represent. Peace.